Rick Bowness has spent a lot of time in the NHL. His time began when he was drafted by the Atlanta Flames in the 2nd round of the 1975 draft. He would go on to play 173 games in the NHL including 45 with the original Jets franchise.
His coaching career began in the AHL with the Sherbrooke Jets where he was a player/coach and he graduated the next season in 1984-85 with the parent club in Winnipeg as an assistant where he would spend the next three seasons. He went back to the AHL to be a head coach for the Moncton Hawks before returning to Winnipeg to be the head coach in 1988-89 for 28 games after he took over for Dan Maloney.
He would go on to coach in Boston, Ottawa, New York (I), Phoenix, Vancouver, Tampa Bay, Dallas and then obviously ended with these last two seasons back in Winnipeg.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
From the team:
In 2023-24, Winnipeg set club records for road wins (25), winning streak (eight games, twice: Dec. 30/23-Jan. 11/24 and Apr. 1-18/24), and point streak (14 games: 12-0-2 from Dec. 13/23-Jan.11/24). The Jets also set a franchise record by going 35 consecutive games allowing three goals or fewer (Nov. 4/23-Jan. 20/24). During that stretch, they also set a club record with a 14-game run without allowing more than two goals (Dec. 20/23- Jan. 20/24). Their 52 wins matched the franchise record set in 2017-18. Bowness was named a finalist for the 2023-24 Jack Adams Award which is awarded to “the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success”.
Bowness served as a coach for eight different franchises and was behind the bench for 17 playoff appearances, including trips to the finals as an associate coach with the Vancouver Canucks in 2011, as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015, and as Dallas Stars head coach in 2020. He is one of only three head coaches (along with Scotty Bowman and Pat Quinn) to serve behind the bench in five different decades. His 2,726 games as an NHL coach are the most by anyone in league history.
The Jets will have a media availability with him and GM Kevin Chevledayoff to talk about his tenure in the NHL at 2 PM. Be sure you’re following our YouTube page as we will have their availability on there.
